Voice Male Magazine: April 2009

*****At the close of the four day symposium, */*Engaging Men and
Boys on Achieving Gender Equality */*a** sweeping Call to Action was
issued.*

Just before the nearly 450 delegates--men and women from some 80
countries--headed home to dozens of countries from the Netherlands to
Norway, South Africa to Spain, Peru to Sweden, Namibia to Nepal, Uganda
to India to name a handful, a declaration, a "Call to Action" was
drafted (see below). It was the culmination of an inspiring series of
workshops and plenary sessions, augmented by spirited conversations over
late night dinners, early morning walks along the beach, and impromptu
meetings in the atrium where the Rio conference took place. The mood was
electric all week as activists and researchers, educators and policy
makers created a community with a shared vision of gender equality.

The daunting task before the delegates was mitigated by a buoyant sense
of hope. The legion of committed men following the lead of women in
agitating, educating and advocating to prevent violence against women
provided a powerful foundation for the gathering. Concern for men's
health and a championing of men's roles as fathers and nurturers rounded
out the ambitious gathering's major themes. But beyond the workshops and
plenaries was the palpable feeling of connection among the delegates.
Women and men forged friendships with other women and men across the
chasms of language and culture. More than the simultaneous translations
into Portuguese, English or Spanish, it was the language of change
delegates all spoke fluently. As we began to disperse at week's end,
exchanging hugs was just as important as exchanging business cards. The
movement for gender justice is growing along with a global consciousness
that is articulating a vision of a world at peace. The struggles we face
in our home countries, in our states and cities, in our homes and
families may remain but for those in Rio at the beginning of April we
experienced a lightening of the heart. May we feel it as a drumbeat of
peace in the days ahead.

The Rio Declaration

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*Global Symposium on Engaging Men and Boys on Achieving Gender Equality
Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
March 29 – April 3, 2009*

*PART ONE: PREAMBLE*
We come from eighty countries. We are men and women, young and old,
working side by side with respect and shared goals. We are active in
community organizations, religious and educational institutions; we are
representatives of governments, NGOs and the United Nations. We speak
many languages, we look like the diverse peoples of the world and carry
their diverse beliefs and religions, cultures, physical abilities, and
sexual and gender identities. We are indigenous peoples, immigrants, and
ones whose ancestors moved across the planet. We are fathers and
mothers, daughters and sons, brothers and sisters, partners and lovers,
husbands and wives.

What unites us is our strong outrage at the inequality that still
plagues the lives of women and girls, and the self-destructive demands
we put on boys and men. But even more so, what brings us together here
is a powerful sense of hope, expectation, and possibility for we have
seen the capacity of men and boys to change, to care, to cherish, to
love passionately, and to work for justice for all.

We are outraged by the pandemic of violence women face at the hands of
some men, by the relegation of women to second class status, and the
continued domination by men of our economies, of our politics, of our
social and cultural institutions, in far too many of our homes. We also
know that among women there are those who fare even worse because of
their social class, their religion, their language, their physical
differences, their ancestry, their sexual orientation, or simply where
they live.

There are deep costs to boys and men from the ways our societies have
defined men's power and raised boys to be men. Boys deny their humanity
in search of an armor-plated masculinity. Young men and boys are
sacrificed as cannon fodder in war for those men of political, economic,
and religious power who demand conquest and domination at any cost. Many
men cause terrible harm to themselves because they deny their own needs
for physical and mental care or lack services when they are in need.

Too many men suffer because our male-dominated world is not only one of
power of men over women, but of some groups of men over others. Too many
men, like too many women, live in terrible poverty, in degradation, or
are forced to do body- or soul-destroying work to put food on the table.

Too many men carry the deep scars of trying to live up to the impossible
demands of manhood and find terrible solace in risk-taking, violence,
self-destruction or the drink and drugs sold to make a profit for
others. Too many men experience violence at the hands of other men.

Too many men are stigmatized and punished for the simple fact they love,
desire and have sex with other men.

We are here because we know that the time when women stood alone in
speaking out against discrimination and violence – that this time is
coming to an end.

We also know this: This belief in the importance of engaging men and
boys is no longer a remote hope. We see the emergence of organizations
and campaigns that are directly involving hundreds of thousands,
millions of men in almost every country on the planet. We hear men and
boys speaking out against violence, practicing safer sex, and supporting
women's and girl's reproductive rights. We see men caring, loving, and
nurturing for other men and for women. We see men who embrace the daily
challenges of looking after babies and children, and delight in their
capacity to be nurturers. We see many men caring for the planet and
rejecting conquering nature just as men once conquered women.

We are gathering not simply to celebrate our first successes, but, with
all the strength we possess, to appeal to parents, teachers, and
coaches, to the media and businesses, to our governments, NGOs,
religious institutions, and the United Nations, to mobilize the
political will and economic resources required to increase the scale and
impact of work with men and boys to promote gender equality. We know how
critical it is that institutions traditionally controlled by men reshape
their policies and priorities to support gender equality and the
well-being of women, children, and men. And we know that a critical part
of that is to reshape the world of men and boys, the beliefs of men and
boys, and the lives of men and boys.
*
PART TWO: THE PLAN OF ACTION*
*The Evidence Base is There*: New initiatives and programs to engage men
and boys in gender equality provides a growing body of evidence that
confirms it is possible to change men's gender-related attitudes and
practices. Effective programs and processes have led men and boys to
stand up against violence and for gender equality in both their personal
lives and their communities. These initiatives not only help deconstruct
harmful masculinities, but reconstruct more gender equitable ones.
Global research makes it increasingly clear that working with men and
boys can reduce violence, improve relationships, strengthen the work of
the women's movement, improve health outcomes of women and men, girls
and boys, and that it is possible to accelerate this change through
deliberate interventions.

*Working with the Women's Movement*: The work with men and boys stems
from and honors the pioneering work and ongoing leadership of the
women's movement. We stand in solidarity with the ongoing struggles for
women's empowerment and rights in our commitment to contribute to the
myriad efforts to achieve gender equality. By working in close synergy
with women's rights organizations, we aim to change individual men's
attitudes and practices, and transform the imbalance of power between
men and women in relationships, families, communities, institutions and
nations.
*
International and UN Commitments*: Through the UN and other
international agreements, the nations of the world have committed
themselves to taking action to involve men and boys in achieving of
gender equality. Policy makers have an obligation to act on these
commitments to develop, implement and evaluate policy and programming
approaches to working with men. These commitments provide civil society
activists with leverage to demand rapid implementation.

These international commitments include:
**

* *The 1994 International Conference on Population and Development *
* *The Programme of Action of the World Summit on Social Development
(1995) *
* *The Beijing Platform for Action (1995) *
* *The twenty-sixth special session of the General Assembly on
HIV/AIDS (2001) *
* *The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), at
its 48th session in 2004*

To achieve transformative and sustainable social change around gender
inequalities, we must go beyond scattered, short-term and small scale
interventions and harness all efforts towards systemic, large-scale, and
coordinated action. /*The time has come for us to fulfill these commitments.
*/
*PART THREE: A PLATFORM FOR ACTION*
*Violence against women*: For too long, all forms of violence including
humiliation and emotional violenceagainst women and girls has been seen
primarily as a "women's issue" and has been invisible, regarded as a
private matter and been the concern of the women's movement. Patriarchal
structures sustain this impunity and endorses men's silence on this
issue. Men and boys' accountability and engagement for social
transformation is essential to bring violence free lives for women and
girls.

*Violence against children*: Girls and boys suffer from abuse and
violence, including corporal and other forms of humiliating and
degrading punishment, in the home, , school and institutions that should
protect them. Gender norms are implicated in this violence by condoning
different forms of violence for boys and girls. Thiscalls for a life
cycle approach, engaging with boys to understand the consequences for
violent behavior and take positive action for violence prevention.

*Violence Among Men*: We also have to address different forms of
violence amongstmen and boys that include armed conflict, gang violence,
\ school bullying and homophobic crimes. Inequity is also at the core of
these manifestations of violence, risk taking and seeking of dominance
of other men. Men's own experiences of violence have devastating effects
on us all and create repeating cycles of violence. .
*
Violence In Armed Conflict*: In wars, communal, ethnic based and other
forms of armed conflict young men are treated as expendable and sent to
their deaths in large numbers. Militaries and other armed groups that
violate international laws on the treatment of civilians in conflict
explicitly condone and even encourage the use of sexual violence as a
method of warfare, explicitly privileging militarized models of
masculinity and ensuring that those men who do refuse violence are
belittled and subject to stigma including homophobic violence. Girls and
boys are increasingly drawn into armed conflict, both as victims and
perpetrators. We call on national governments, to uphold Security
Council Resolutions including 1308, 1325, 1612 and 1820 and to
proactively contribute to the elimination of all forms of gendered
violence, including in times of armed conflict.

*Men, work and the global political economy*: Men's roles are strongly
influenced by the global political economy. The values competition,
consumption, and aggressive accumulation and assertion of power –
military, economic, financial, social or cultural, reinforce practices
of domination and use of violence at the interpersonal and community
levels throughout the life-cycle. The dominant economic models have led
to increasing economic vulnerability, frequent forced migration and lost
livelihoods .. We must challenge the economic and political policies and
institutions that drive inequalities.

*Fatherhood*: Responsible, committed and involved fatherhood is an
essential component of any attempt to transform families and societies
into new norms that better reflect gender equity, child rights and
shared parenting responsibilities and enjoyment. It is in the home that
gender inequality is at its most powerful and sometimes most hidden.
Positive fatherhood therefore plays an important part in challenging the
intergenerational transmission of damaging stereotypes and power
relations. More commitment must be demonstrated to strengthening father
roles and supporting men to realize their potential to facilitate their
children's attitudes and practices and, as men heal themselves from
damaging and restrictive negative gender roles.

*Men as Caregivers*: Societies expect women and girls to take
responsibility for the care work that sustains and replenishes families,
communities, economies and societies, including raising children and
taking care of the sick and the elderly. This frequently prevents women
and girls from accessing their fundamental human rights to health,
education, employment and full political participation. Governments,
civil society organisations, UN agencies, the private sector anddonor
organisations must put in place strategies that shift gender norms and
encourage men to share with women the joys and burdens of caring for others.
*
Sexual and Gender Diversities and Sexual Rights*: There are profound
diversities among men and boys in their sexual and gender identities and
relations. Formal and informal patterns of sexual injustice, homophobia,
social exclusion and oppression throughout the world shape men´s and
boys' access to civil rights, health care, personal safety, and the
recognition and affirmation of their intimate relations. Constructions
of masculinity in many contexts are based on ruthless hostility to
gendered sexual behaviours that contradict dominant patriarchal norms,
and policed through heterosexist violence. Programming and policy
engaging men and boys must recognize and affirm sexual diversity among
men and boys, and support the positive rights of men of all sexualities
to sexual pleasure and well-being.

*Men's and Boys' Gender Related Vulnerabilities*: Men and boys die early
from preventable diseases, accidents and violence. Most men have higher
death rates for the same sicknesses that affect women. We need to
promote health among boys and young men and enable them to acquire
health seeking behaviours for themselves, as well as for their families.
The emotional and subjective level and personal experience of men and
boys has to be addressed to better understand the root problems like
violence suicide, drug abuse, accidents and the lack of a health seeking
behaviour. Though it is not often mentioned mental health dimensions are
always present in other issues dealing with sexual and reproductive
health, fathering and gender based violence. Gender responsive and
socio-culturally sensitive mental health programs and services are
needed to address and prevent these issues at community level.
*
Sexual Exploitation*: Men's use of sexual violence results from social
norms that condone the exploitation of women and girls, boys and men.
Objectification and commodification of women and girls and boys and men
normalizes violent and coercive sexual behaviours. Ending sexual
violence and exploitation requires holistic strategies from the global
to local level to engage men and boys in challenging attitudes that give
men dominance, and treating all human beings with dignity and respect.
*
Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights*: Sexual and reproductive
health and rights (SRHR) are largely considered as only a women's
domain, leaving women and girls responsible for their own sexual health,
and that of their families and communities. In a sexual health context,
men often do not have access to or use services although they behave in
ways that put them and their partners at serious risk. It is essential
that we work with men and boys to fully support and promote the SRHR of
women, girls, boys and other men, and that health services address
issues of power and proactively promote gender equality. Such services
should help men to identify and address their own sexual and
reproductive health needs and rights. This requires us to advance sexual
rights, and to adopt a positive, human-rights based approach to
everyone's sexuality.

*HIV and AIDS*: HIV and AIDS continues to devastate communities across
the world. Gender inequalities and rigid gender roles exacerbate the
spread and the impact of the epidemic, making it difficult for women and
girls to negotiate sexual relations and leaving women and girls with the
burden of caring for those with AIDS related illnesses. Definitions of
masculinity that equate manhood with dominance over sexual partners, the
pursuit of multiple partners and a willingness to take risks while
simultaneously depicting health seeking behavior as a sign of weakness,
increase the likelihood that men will contract and pass on the virus.
Governments, UN agencies and civil society must take urgent action to
implement evidence-based prevention, treatment, care and support
strategies that address the gendered dimensions of HIV and AIDS, meet
the needs of people living with HIV and AIDS, ensure access to
treatment, challenge stigma and discrimination and support men to reduce
their risk taking behaviors and improve their access to and use of HIV
services.

*Youth*: Young men and women have a right to early and active
involvement in initiatives that promote gender equality. Societies must
create an environment where girls and boys are viewed as equals, enjoy
dignified labour and easy access to quality education, and live lives
free from violence, including forced marriage, are supported to create
equitable relationships,

*Environment*: One result of harmful masculinities has been the attempt
to dominate nature. With catastrophic climate change and laying the
oceans, the forests, and land to waste, this quest has had disastrous
outcomes. All levels of our societies must urgently act to reverse the
damage done and facilitate the process of healing.

*Celebrating diversity*: We stress that debate, action and policies on
gender relations and gender equities will have the most effective and
positive impact when they include an understanding and celebrating of
our differences based on race, ethnicity, age, sexual and gender
diversities, religion, physical ability and class.

*Resources*: Resources allocated to women's equality must be increased.
We seek not to divert resources from these initiatives but argue for the
need to increase resources overall to achieve gender equality, including
men and boys. .

*Strengthening the evidence base*: It is vital to continue to build the
evidence base for gender transformative programs through research and
program evaluations, to determine which strategies are most successful
in different cultural contexts.

*Part Four: The Call To Action*

1. Individuals should take action within their communities and be
agents of change to promote gender equality.
2. Community based organisations should continue their groundbreaking
work to challenge the status quo of gender and other inequalities
and actively model social change.
3. Non-governmental organisations should develop and build on
programs, interventions and services that are based on the needs,
rights and aspirations of their communities, are accountable and
reflect the principles in this document. They should develop
synergies with other relevant social movements, and establish
mechanisms for monitoring and reporting on government commitments.
4. Governments should repeal all discriminatory laws and act on their
existing international and UN obligations and commitments,
prioritise and allocate resources to gender transformative
interventions, and develop policies, frameworks and concrete
implementation plans that advance this agenda, including through
working with other governments and adherence to the Paris Principles.
5. Private sector should promote workplaces that are gender equitable
and free from violence and exploitation, and direct their
corporate social responsibility towards inclusive social change.
6. Media and Entertainment industries role in maintaining and
reinforcing traditional and unequal gender norms has to be
addressed, confronted and alternatives supported.
7. Donors should redirect their resources towards the promotion of
inclusive programming for gender equality and inclusive social
justice, including changes to laws and policies, and develop
synergies amongst donors.
8. The United Nations must show leadership in these areas,
innovatively and proactively support member states to promote
gender equitable and socially transformative law, policy and
practice, including through interagency coordination as
articulated in the One UN approach.

We must invest in men and boys to become engaged in changing their
behavior and attitudes towards gender equality supported by communities,
systems and national policies.

Rob Okun, Editor
/Voice Male / magazine
male positive, pro-feminist
33 Gray St. Amherst, MA 01002
413.687-8171 rob@voicemalemagazine.org
new website under construction: www.voicemalemagazine.org
Chair, National Advisory Board, Men's Resource Center for Change

Voice Male Magazine

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